Francesco II Pico della Mirandola (... - 1399) was an Italian

condottiero Condottieri (; singular: ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian military leaders active during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The term originally referred specifically to commanders of mercenary companies, derived from the ...

and nobleman, belonging to the House of Pico, who in 1354 regained the family domains of

Mirandola Mirandola (Emilian language#Dialects, Mirandolese: ) is a city and ''comune'' of Emilia-Romagna, Italy, in the Province of Modena, northeast of the Modena, provincial capital by railway. History Mirandola originated as a Renaissance Defensiv ...

and Concordia, which had fallen into the hands of the Gonzagas, and was lord of them until his death (1399).

Life

He was son of Paolo Pico della Mirandola (?-1354) and Isabella Malaspina, daughter of Marquis Azzolino Malaspina. With the coming of the Emperor Charles IV in Italy, Francesco regained the dominion of Mirandola on 23 December 1354: first of all, an imperial decision ended the ancient disputes of jurisdiction over the Courts of Quarantoli and

San Possidonio San Possidonio (Emilian language#Dialects, Mirandolese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Modena in the Italy, Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about northwest of Bologna and about northeast of Modena. San Possidonio bord ...

and on the castle of Mirandola, which were not included in the territory of

Reggio Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia (; ), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until Unification of Italy, 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 172,51 ...

, but immediately subject to the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

; furthermore, Emperor Charles V renewed to Francesco and his cousins the investiture already granted to their ancestors by the previous Emperor Henry VII. The Gonzagaswho had held possession of Mirandola since 1322 following the siege of Duke Passerino, had to return the city to the Pico family. In

1355 Year 1355 (Roman numerals, MCCCLV) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. Events * January 6 – Charles IV of Bohemia is crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy as King of Italy in Milan. * January 7 – King ...

, at the outbreak of the war between the Estensi and the

Visconti Visconti is a surname which may refer to: Italian noble families * Visconti of Milan, ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447 ** Visconti di Modrone, collateral branch of the Visconti of Milan * Visconti of Pisa and Sardinia, ruled Gallura in Sardinia from ...

, Francesco openly sided with the latter after the siege of Mirandola by

Bernabò Visconti Bernabò or Barnabò Visconti (1323 – 19 December 1385) was an Italian soldier and statesman who was Lord of Milan. Along with his brothers Matteo and Galeazzo II, he inherited the lordship of Milan from his uncle Giovanni. Later in 1355, he ...

. In 1358, when peace was reached, Francesco Pico returned to Estensi the occupied castles of Marano and Campiglio (

Vignola Vignola (; Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese: ; Bolognese dialect, Bolognese: ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Modena (Emilia-Romagna), Italy. Its economy is based on agriculture, especially fruit farming, but there are also mecha ...

), then went to

Modena Modena (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It has 184,739 inhabitants as of 2025. A town, and seat of an archbis ...

to pay homage to Marquis Aldovrandino d'Este. In 1362 the war was rekindled in which Francesco Pico renewed his alliance with the Visconti; therefore the League decided that in the event of victory Mirandola would be returned to the Gonzaga. In 1363, Francesco Pico was forced to surrender to the

Mantua Mantua ( ; ; Lombard language, Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, eponymous province. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2 ...

ns, joining the

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as The Royal City, it is roughly east of Kitchener, Ontario, Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Ontario Highway 6, ...

League and accepting a garrison from it: for this reason, Bernabò Visconti had to accept the peace concluded in 1364. In 1370, the war flared up again, but Francesco remained loyal to the Guelph League, while his cousins sided with the Visconti and so ended up moving away from Mirandola, until they were gradually excluded from its dominion: in 1390 they claimed claims, but only obtained a life pension: a council of 13 judges met in the church of San Francesco to settle the dispute over the dominion of Mirandola that had arisen between the four brothers Spinetta, Francesco II, Prendiparte and Tommasino (sons of Paolo Pico) against their cousins Giovanni and Prendiparte (sons of Niccolò Pico della Mirandola).

Bibliography

References

{{reflist Francesco 02 1399 deaths

Life

See also

Bibliography

References